Screenwriting Scholarships—The nonprofit Santa Fe Film Arts Institute is offering two scholarships to this year's Screenwriting Conference in Santa Fe (SCSFe 2005) to deserving New Mexico applicants. To enter yourself, or someone else you feel would benefit, please send a letter with your name, address, phone number, e-mail address (or the info of the person you're submitting for consideration) to The Santa Fe Film Arts Institute, P.O. Box 29762, Santa Fe, N.M., 87592. Please include a paragraph or two explaining why you (or the person you're nominating) deserve(s) one of the scholarships. Any New Mexico resident is eligible for consideration. All entries must be received at SFFAI's offices by 5 p.m., Monday, May 23, 2005. The winners will be notified by Friday, May 27, 2005. For more information on SCSFe 2005, coming June 1 through 5, visit www.scsfe.com.

Crazed sci-fi classic rockets onto the big screen

By Devin D. O'Leary

It seems like it's been a long time coming. Douglas Adams' cult novel The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy was first published way back in 1979. Since then, its “cult” has garnered some 20 million members. The story's roots go back even further, having started life as a BBC radio play. While it hardly counts in terms of light years, 2005 is still a fair distance to cover between publication and the (nowadays) inevitable silver screen adaptation.

Twilight Samurai (2002)

By Kurly Tlapoyawa

Man, I sure do love me some samurai films. From widely accepted classics such as Yojimbo and Throne of Blood to the gore-soaked insanity of the Lone Wolf and Cub series, the samurai genre definitely holds a special place in my heart. So when I heard about a little film called The Twilight Samurai winning Best Picture and Best Director at the Japanese Academy Awards, and saw reviews by everyone and their cousin calling it the second coming of classic samurai, I had to see what the big deal was all about for myself. So let me get started by saying this much: The Twilight Samurai is one of the best movies ever made. Ever. Seriously.

Summer Sweeps around the Dial

By Devin D. O'Leary

May is the last Sweeps month before the networks close down shop for summer. It's the time when all the season finales jostle each other for attention and (of course) ratings. It's also the time when underperforming shows face the final chopping block. Even as the first Sweeps ratings begin to creep in, some fates are already sealed.

The Week in Sloth

Thursday 5

“Jackpot! Inside America's Lottery Winners” (Discovery 8 p.m.) Why is it that multimillion dollar lottery winners always seem to end up drunk, broke and fighting over their last 10 bucks in court? Perhaps this new documentary will give us some insight.

Cinco de Mayo (TCM 6 p.m.) TCM celebrates Cinco de Mayo by kicking off an entire month-long celebration of “Cine Mexico: The Golden Age.” Every Thursday in May will feature classic Mexican films--from Cantinflas to Luis Buñuel. Today it's a Buñuel bash with 1950's Los Olivados, 1959's Nazarín, 1961's Viridiana, 1962's The Exterminating Angel and 1965's Simon of the Desert.